Recently I have had a pain in my neck where you would normally take a pulse. This has lasted for 2-3 days without getting better and slightly worse. It is sore to the touch and hurts when I look up or to the right. The pain also increases when I bend over or strain in some fashion. The pain is on the right side of my neck. It doesn't feel abnormally swollen and does not hurt to swallow but the pain is still there nonetheless. My question is what could be causing this and should I be greatly concerned? Thank you.

The possibilities of such a pain are:
1. Musculoskeletal pain.
2. Pain caused by a herniated disc especially that it increases with straining. i am not sure exactly which area of the neck you are referring to when you say where we take a pulse, but, if it fairly high in the neck (near to the mandible) and localized to one spot, this is the distribution of the second cervical vertebra. If it is low in the neck and still is localized to one area, most probably this pain is not related to disc disease.
3. Eventhough you say that there is no swelling, the muscles of the neck can sometime hide a mildly swollen mass, such as a small abscess.
4. Pain originating from the thyroid gland secondary to its inflammation.
5. A small lymph node.
6. Referred pain from somewhere else like a bad tooth.

At any rate, this pain has been there for 3 days and is getting worse, so, i would recommend that you call your doctor to be seen.

Stay as active as possible. Try to go to work and keep up your normal everyday activities - bed rest is not necessary. If you are given a neck-collar, try not to use this for more than one or two days.Remember that neck pain is rarely caused by a serious illness and will often disappear within a week.

People with weak neck muscles are more prone to neck problems and in such cases, an exercise programme to strengthen the neck is a good idea. These are the few useful link